Separator



March 17, 1936- c. H. w. CHELTNAM ET AL 3 SEPARATOR Filed March 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,034,023 sErAaA'ros.

Charles Henry Wood Cheltnam and Cyril Henry Cheltnam, London, England Application March 20, 1935, Serial No. 12,092 In Great Britain March 20, 1934 2 Claims.

This invention relates to centrifugal separators for separating and collecting dust, that is, fine particles of matter, whether solid or liquid, from dust-laden air and other gases, and to the 5 class of such separators in which the dust-laden air or other gas is propelled tangentially into a vessel of circular or approximately circular section, the more or less dust-free air or other gas being discharged axially.

Throughout the specification and claims, the term dust is used to include small solid and liquid particles, and the terms gas and fluid are used to include air and other gases.

The object of this invention is to reduce the turbulence which exists in separators of the class above described, and thereby to increase the -eficiency of separation and reduce the resistance to the flow of gas. The points at which turbulence is most destructive of separation em- 9 ciency are where the conveying fluid enters the vessel through the tangential inlet-duct, and, in the case where the dust is discharged axially, at the entrance tothe dust-discharge pipe.

When gas is projected tangentially into a ves- 5 sel of circular or scroll-shaped cross-section, two vortex rings are set up which rotate in opposite directions in any longitudinal section and gear together at their adjacent surfaces, the vortex ring adjacent to the inlet and feeding into the [9 other. The incoming stream of air, which has only a linear motion, creates turbulence where its joints one of the vortex rings and consequently a certain amount of the dust laden air spills into the outlet for the cleaned air. This turbulence 5- also retards the natural speed of rotation in the longitudinal section of the vortex rings, thereby reducing the axial component of their velocity,

and thus the velocity of the surface of the vortex ring remote from the axial fluid outlet, upon 3 which the ejection of the dust into the dust-pipe depends, is reduced.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means for imparting to the incoming stream of dust laden gas, and before its entry 3 into the separator, a rotary motion about its axis in the same direction of rotation as that of the natural rotation of the vortex ring which it joins. Said means may comprise blades or vanes attached to the usual tangential inlet piece or be I inserted in the pipe leading thereto, and they may be shallow vanes arranged around and inside the periphery of the inlet pieces or pipe so as to form amultiple screw -thread, or said means may comprise a propeller blade or blades extending diametrically across the inlet piece or pipe,

the propeller blades being secured to a central boss.

Other objects of the invention will be made clear by the following description.

Various forms of separator of the class here- 5 inbefore mentioned may be constructed according to the present invention; and two forms of separator according to the invention are illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through a dual separator.

Figure 2 being a plan corresponding thereto. and

Figure 3 being a sectional plan, on a larger scale, on the line III-III of Figure l.

Figure 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of a single separator.

Figure 5 being a sectional plan on the line VV of Figure 4. 7

Figures 6 and 7 are, respectively, a plan and an elevation of one blade such as is suitable for use in the tangential inlet pipe of the separator.

The dust separator illustrated by Figures 1 to 3 I is a dual separator such asthat described in the g specification of British Patent No. 406,036 and comprises a cylindrical head I, an inverted conic 'frustum 2, cylindrical part 3, second inverted conic frustum E, axial dust eduction or discharge pipe 5, and a coned plate 6 having a central hole l, which plate constitutes the bottom of the primary separator and top of the secondary.

The head i is fitted with a. gas outlet diffuser comprising an inverted conic frustum 8 and a cylinder or liner 9 sealed at its lower end by a cone It. The frustum 8 has a cylindrical extension having a flanged or rounded lower edge II.

The gas inlet I2 to the head I is arranged as before to direct the dust laden air or gas tangentially into the head I, but for the reasons hereinbefore referred to, the connection I3 for the gas pipe, in front of the inlet I2, is fitted internally with a number of vanes I4 which impart to the stream of gas a rotary motion about the axis of the connection I3, which motion is in the same direction as that occurring about the circular axis of the vortex-ring in the head I, at the longitudinal section where the tangential inlet stream meets the said vortex-ring.

Each vane It may be of the form illustrated by Figures 6 and 7, that is, it may consist of a blade having a part l5 presenting an edge to the stream of air or gas and curving but slightly and gently from a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the connection It, and a part I6 curving more 58 abruptly from said plane, the outer longer edge of the blade conforming to the inner cylindrical surface of the connection It and the inner longer edge being parallel to the outer longer edge.

The blades It may be secured directly to the inner surface of the connection It, or they may be secured to the inner. surface 01' a liner ring which may be fitted into the connection, in which case the blades and ring form a unit. The vanes or blades II are arranged in the connection l3 so I that they are set back from the actual inlet I! in order that the gas emerging from them has actually a rotary motion about the axis of the connection l3 before it enters the head I and Joins the vortex-ring therein, thus avoiding or reducing any tendency for the gas to splay as it enters the head I. The dust laden gas thus enters the head I and smoothly merges into the vortex-ring in the head, maintaining or accelerating rather than retarding or disturbing the rotary movement of that ring. Turbulence at the entry and the resulting spilling over of dust-laden gas into the gas outlet is thus avoided. Moreover, the natural speed of rotation in the longitudinal section of the vortex-rings being maintained, there is no reduction of the axial component of their velocity in regard to the surface of the separator and thus the velocity of the surface of the vortexring in the parts 2 and 3 and of those below the plate 6, upon which velocity the ejection of the dust down the separator and into the dust-pipe 5 depends, are not reduced.

Considering the turbulence which occurs at the entrance of the dust discharge pipe, the dust is discharged axially from the narrow end of the conic frustum 4 by being carried along the inner surface thereof at high speed by the axial component of the surface-velocity of the adjacent vortex ring. The dust, with any entrained gas, is flung into the dust pipe from whence the air returns to the central evacuative column in the separator chamber. The entrained gas enters the dust pipe in a form resembling a bundle of sticks tied at the middle of their length and splayed at their ends. Turbulence occurs at the center of the dust-pipe and some of the precipitated dust is carried into the evacuative column by the rising entrained gas.

In order to prevent turbulence at the dust outlet, the axial dust discharge pipe 5 is provided with a cylindrical core or post H. The post may be hollow, but, if so, it must be sealed and preferably at its inner end, where it extends into the narrow end of the frustum 4, by means of a flat disc, dome or cone l8. The external diameter of the post is approximately half of the diameter of the dust hole, so that an unobstructed annular passage is formed for the passage of the dust from the separator.

The post I! is supported by two-screw-threaded stays is which pass diametrically through the post I1 and the pipe 5, the two stays being at different levels and at right angles to one another and being secured by nuts ZlLadjustment of which enables the post to be set co-axially with the pipe 5. A ferrule 2| on each stay inside the post .prevents distortion of the post when the nuts are tightened. The supports for the posts are well below the dust outlet and, therefore, they will not retard the rotation of the gas and dust in the dust pipe, which retardation would prevent the dust being held against the wall of the dust pipe and out of the way of any returning gas.

The pipe 5 is shown provided with a door 2 I The post l'l acts as a deflector for dust which is flung into the pipe I and might otherwise collide in the central core of the pipe and, with any entrained gas, set up turbulence, resulting in some dust being carried back into the frustum 4. Any

entrained air will return up the surface of the 5 post to the frustum 4, whereas the dust is deflected downwards.

The avoidance of turbulence, by means of the present invention, at the inlet for dust laden gas increases the efliciency of a. pressure operated u plant and increases the eiilciency of a suction operated plant to that of the new efficiency of a pressure operated plant. The avoidance of turbulence at the dust outlet stillfurther increases the efllciency of the apparatus.

Two tangential inlets (not shown) for dust laden gas may be provided, one to each of the vortex rings formed in the separator chamber, each inlet piece or pipe being provided with blades or vanes, the pitch of the vanes of one inlet being 21 of opposite hand to those of the other inlet in accordance with the natural direction of rotation of the vortex rings.

The post I! in the dust-pipe 5 also shields the dust-pipe, any valves therein and the usual dust 21 hopper, into which the pipe discharges, from the deep depression existing in the separator about its axis,

The single separator illustrated by Figures 4 and 5, comprising a cylindrical head I and single 3 It will be understood that the separators above 4 described are intended more particularly for the separation of fine dust, in which operation the avoidance of turbulence is pwticularly desirable in order to ensure high efliciency.

We claim: 4

1. A centrifugal separator for separating and collecting dust (e. g. fine particles of matter) from gas, comprising a vessel of substantially circular section having an inlet for dust-laden gas, means for directing a stream of dust-laden gas through 5 said inlet tangentially into said vessel to set up vortex-rings in said vessel, an axial outlet for gas, an axial outlet for dust, and means in front of said inlet for imparting to said stream of dustladen gas, before it enters said vessel a rotary I motion about its axis in the same direction as that of the rotary motion of the vortex-ring which it joins, for the purpose of avoiding turbulence.

2. A centrifugal separator for separating and collecting dust from gas, comprising a vessel of substantially circular cross-section having an inlet for dust-laden gas, an inlet connection for directing a stream of dust-laden gas through said inlet tangentially into said vessel to set up vortexrings therein, an axial outlet for gas, an axial outlet for dust, and curved vanes in said connection and in front of said inlet for imparting to the stream of dust-laden gas a rotary motion about its axis in the same direction as that of the rotary motion of the vortex ring which it joins for the purpose of avoiding turbulence at the said inlet to the vessel.

CHARLES HENRY WOOD CHELTNAM. CYRH; HENRY CHELTNAM.

The post I! 3 CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. 5

Patent No. 2,034,023. March 17, 1956.

CHARLES HENRY WOOD CHELTNAM, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 29, for "and" read end; and 'line 52, for the words "its joints" read it joins; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 18th day of August, A. D. 1936.

I Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

